Kappa-Carrageenan Inhibited the High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obesity Through Up-Regulating the Hepatic Sirt1 Gene Expression

Abstract Objectives Kappa-Carrageenan(CGN) is a widely used food additive in the meat industry and a highly viscous soluble dietary fiber which can hardly be fermented. It has been shown to be able to regulate the energy metabolism and inhibit diet-induced obesity. However, the mechanism is not well understood. The purpose of this study is to investigate the mechanisms of κ-carrageenan to inhibit the body weight gain. Methods A high-fat diet incorporated with lard, pork protein and CGN (2% or 4%, w/w) was given to C57BL/6J mice for 90 days. The energy intake and weight changes were measured every three days. After the dietary intervention, mice were sacrificed, liver and epididymal adipose tissues were taken for real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis. Results The CGN in the high-fat diet restricted weight gain by decreasing liver and adipose mass without inhibiting energy intake. The genes involving energy expenditure such as Acox1, Acadl, CPT-1A and Sirt1 were upregulated in the mice fed with carrageenan. However, the genes responsible for lipid synthesis were not significantly different compared to the diet-induced obese model. Conclusions The anti-obesity effect of the CGN in high-fat diet could be highly related to the enhancement of energy expenditure through up-regulating the downstream genes which promote β-oxidation by increasing the Sirt1 gene expression in liver. Funding Sources Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China (10000 Talent Project)